Studies have also found that caffeinated and decaffeinated types can spark that movement, Dr. Staller says. Researchers think that certain coffee compounds prompt the release of hormones like cholecystokinin that supercharge the gastrocolic reflex. In any case, you’d do best to steer clear of anything coffee-containing if you’re looking to slow things down.
Eat a bunch of smaller portions, versus fewer big ones
As Dr. Kunkel puts it, “volume matters.” The greater the quantity of food you’re sending to your stomach at a given time, the more space it’ll take up there, and the more stretch you’ll create—which is what sets off that reflex in your colon, he explains. To be clear, this isn’t to say eat less. But eating smaller meals more frequently might keep your gut from hitting that trip wire as often, Dr. Kunkel says.
Go easy on the high-fat foods
Don’t get us wrong: Fats are an integral part of any diet, playing an essential role in your brain and nervous system functioning and helping you absorb fat-soluble vitamins that support your bones, teeth, hair, and skin. But it’s also true that eating a whole bunch of them in one meal can send your gastrocolic reflex into overdrive.
That may be, in part, because fat is calorically dense (meaning it contains more calories per gram than the same amount of carbs or protein), which causes it to empty more slowly from your stomach, Dr. Kunkel says. More food filling up your belly for longer just ups the chance that you flip on those stretch receptors and trigger things to get moving farther down in your colon.
It’s also possible that certain components of fats, much like coffee, may stimulate the release of cholecystokinin and other hormones that play a role in the gastrocolic reflex—making it all the more likely that a high-fat meal sends you straight to the toilet. Again, that’s not to say that you should avoid fats entirely, Dr. Kunkel emphasizes. Instead, he suggests experimenting to figure out what amount seems to cause symptoms for you.
Turn to medication
In some cases, changing what or how you eat might not have much of an effect. After all, we’re talking about contractions in the muscle of your gut that you can’t directly control. That’s where antispasmodic medicine might come into play, Dr. Staller says. These meds, which include dicyclomine (Bentyl) and hyoscyamine (Levsin), can help calm down your colon muscle so it isn’t squeezing so hard—and pushing things out so quickly.
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